David Moyes and Dwight McNeil
David Moyes and Dwight McNeil
Dwight McNeil will make his first start in the Premier League this season as attempts to deal with a selection crisis. The midfielder appears to have won the battle over summer signing Tyler Dibling to start on ’s right flank - the position vacated by Iliman Ndiaye after his departure for Morocco to represent Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations.
McNeil is one of three enforced changes from the team that started at Chelsea last week, with Moyes also having to replace Idrissa Gueye - also at AFCON with Senegal - and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who was withdrawn after 10 minutes at Stamford Bridge due to a hamstring injury.
Tim Iroegbunam and Carlos Alcaraz are the players set to get an opportunity in their absence - moves that were largely expected given their involvement when Gueye was suspended for three games across the end of November and start of December. Iroegbunam looks set to partner James Garner in the middle while Alcaraz may well start in the advanced central midfield role he occupied against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest.
He could be forced to the right to allow McNeil to play a central role but Moyes has typically opted for Alcaraz in the number 10 role this season. As expected, Jack Grealish makes the starting XI. He complained of a hamstring injury at Chelsea last week but Moyes said in his pre-match press conference on Friday that the 30-year-old was fit.
Starting XI: Pickford; Mykolenko, Keane, Tarkowski, O’Brien; Iroegbunam, Garner; Grealish, Alcaraz, McNeil; Barry
Bench: Travers, King, Patterson, Rohl, Beto, Dibling, Aznou, Welch, Campbell
Arsenal XI: Raya, Saliba, Hancapie, Saka, Odegaard, Timber, Gyokeres, Trossard, Calafiori, Zubimendi, Rice.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Merino, Nwaneri, Eze, Madueke, Martinelli, Jesus.
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